FRANKFORT, KY. (April 20, 2007) - Technology upgrades are being made at the county clerk’s office in MagoffinCounty. Governor Ernie Fletcher and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announce the installation of new computer equipment for the office. The KYTC is installing the equipment as a part of a statewide Automated Vehicle Information System (AVIS) computer upgrade that will take place in Kentucky during the next three years.

“It’s hard to imagine, but in some counties this old computer equipment has been in use for about a quarter of a century,” said Transportation Cabinet Secretary Bill Nighbert. “Governor Fletcher’s commitment to this project has made the system upgrades possible. The county clerks desperately need new equipment so they can do their jobs more efficiently.”

As the result of a Transportation Cabinet initiative, the state’s budget now includes $750,000 over the next two years to replace old terminals, printers, and networks in county clerk’s offices all across the Commonwealth. The two-part AVIS upgrade will include replacement of network equipment and hardware, as well as software enhancements. The system improvements are being made first in the 60 smallest counties in the state. The network used by the county clerks will be updated, old terminals will be replaced with PCs, and mainframe printers are being discarded in favor of new PC printers that will be used for vehicle registrations.

“This is going to be a very positive change for us” said Magoffin County Clerk Renee Shepherd. “We appreciate being chosen as one of the first county clerk’s offices to benefit from this project. We also want to thank Governor Fletcher and the Transportation Cabinet for making an investment in MagoffinCounty, which will save a lot of time for us and our customers.”

“These much-needed improvements will make a world of difference for the county clerks and their customers,” said Department of Vehicle Regulation Commissioner Roy Mundy. “This project will bring all the county clerks on board with the same modern computer network. It is the foundation for the new AVIS computer system, as well as future consumer services like digitized plates, on-demand registration stickers, and expanding Internet transactions.”

The KYTC is planning to complete the hardware and software upgrades in at least 40 county clerk’s offices before July 1. The process for installing new equipment in larger counties is expected to begin later this summer, with the new AVIS system operational statewide within three years.